KATHMANDU, JUNE 10
Mountaineers from Gorkha were honoured in Kathmandu on Wednesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Mt Manaslu.
The programme was organised by Chumanubri Rural Municipality, which also honoured several climbers and institutions, including the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, for their contributions to mountaineering and conservation.
Mt Manaslu was first scaled on May 9, 1956, by Japanese climber Toshio Imanishi and Sherpa climber Gyalzen Norbu. Urken Tshering Sherpa became the first Nepali to summit the mountain in 1973.
According to the organisers, 3,742 domestic and foreign climbers have summited the world's eighth-highest peak to date. Speaking at the event, record-holding Everest climber Phunjo Jangmu Lama expressed concern over the impact of climate change on Nepal's mountains.